I have previously stated that Satan will do whatever works to draw us away from God, to cause our faith to waiver, and in “my most recent situation”, to cause anxiety. It happened in a house I was renting on an extended vacation, that I found myself feeling threatened by the intrusion of some arthropod pests that invaded my space.
My husband and I have dreamt about having a home near the mountains with a more rural view than the town houses looming over us in our South Florida backyard. We desire a place with a serene panorama where we can sit and do our devotions in the midst of the splendor of God’s creation (nature). Oh how nice that sounded to me. So, I figured an extended vacation in a suburb of beautiful Greenville SC would be exciting, and help us discern if this was where we might retire.
Well, exciting was an understatement for me! There is good excitement and there is the kind that brings anxiety, so be careful who you wish for. The problem with our plan was I am not a nature girl, nope, the reality is I’m more of a high maintenance city girl, just a nature wannabe.
Our Winter Vacation
In February we trekked off to South Carolina with our little dog in tow. The home we rented was lovely, newly remodeled and beautifully decorated, I loved everything about it… well, almost. Little did I realize, nature comes with bugs (arthropods) in the form of fleas and palmetto bugs to be specific.
These were the culprits the enemy used to get under my skin and on my skin. This house was 50 years old with all of it’s creaks and crevices, where bugs can easily get in. As for the serenity of the woodsy outdoor landscape, well, that came with fleas looking for warmth. Fortunately, my dog was on a flea prevention from the get go, but I was not. Now, I know South Florida has those same pests, but I have an exterminator contract to keep them away. I didn’t know if the landlord of the rental house did, and I was reluctant to complain.
“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean innocent lives children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.” (Philippians 2:14-15)
I’m certain that didn’t sit well with the devil, because at this point, he had devised a well orchestrated plan to instill fear and cause paranoia. I mean, I was itchy just thinking about the fleas, not to mention the few small bites I found on my body. As soon as I saw a flea on my face, I began to have difficulty taking my thoughts captive to Jesus without squirming and scratching. I just kept asking Him to help me get rid of the bug problem. After all, His Word says we can cast our cares on Him. (1Peter 5:7) So, one restless night I got up to pray and do just that.
My Friend Google
When I got my first smart phone the tech person taught me that Google was my friend. It helped me solve a lot of tech issues and more. So, while waiting on God in my prayer time (when I should have been meditating), my restless mind and impatience inspired me to do some research with my old friend Google. I was determined to do everything in my power at that moment to take care of the flea problem so I could get some sleep. That’s when the palmetto bug problem manifested. As I turned on the kitchen light, there was the giant cockroach crawling all over the marble pound cake I was hoping to have for breakfast with my coffee. The cake was in a closed container, but that roach was crawling all over the broken seal trying to get in.
I went back to Google for help and discovered that Dawn power-wash could kill it. So, I marched back in that kitchen in battle mode, took the power-wash spray and kept pulling the trigger until that big roach finally fell off the counter and landed with a thump. And then I spent the next 30 minutes cleaning the mess, and throwing out my not so delicious looking marble cake. I went back to the couch to re-center my thoughts, only to start dwelling on the cockroaches in the dishwasher. Yes where there is one there is more, just like those pesky fleas. I’ll spare you the rest of this flea and cockroach drama and get into God’s response about my problem.
God Responds
Father, God knows me very well, and I’m beginning to know Him better too. He uses my circumstances to teach me that His ways are higher than mine, and He does it in His time, not mine. His answer to me came by revelation from the Word, the Bible.
“You will not succeed by your own strength or by your power, but by My Spirit’ says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)
I realized I was operating in my own power, and not patiently waiting and trusting God for His answer to the problem. I soon learned the problem wasn’t the bugs, but rather the fear of them. Remember, fear is a tool the enemy uses to do what ever it takes to distract us from the truth of God’s Word. I remembered God’s promises and His instructions from the Word.
“Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.’ (1 Corinthians 16:13)
“Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil is like a roaring lion sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9)
Keep in mind that these two verses are referring to being on guard against the schemes of the devil, not the roaches in the kitchen or the fleas in the couch.
“But, the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 4:6-7)
I recognized my need to repent of some of my short comings based on those scriptures, and allowed the peace of Jesus to restore me to righteousness in God’s eyes. For I am redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Thank you Lord! The Word of God renewed my faith and strengthened me as another verse came to mind. “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10) I don’t have to be strong in my own power, I can rely on God.
Finally, I asked the Lord again what to do about the bug problem. This time He spoke to me through my friend Google as a verse popped up from the book of Job in the Bible. God was lovingly but firmly telling me that my power is nothing compared to His.
“And have you ever ordered Morning ‘get up!’ Told Dawn, ‘get to work!’ so you could seize the earth like a blanket and shake out the wicked like cockroaches.” (Job 38:12-13)
God reminds us that the “sun” brings everything to light. The wicked (Satan and his demons) are like cockroaches that run and hide when the light comes on. This brought me back to the unseen realm and the spiritual warfare that surrounds me because I belong to Jesus. I was reminded that through Jesus Christ the “Son”of God, the Light of the World, the enemy is exposed; and when resisted, he must flee. See my former blog, Understand the Devil’s Plan.
“God did not give us a spirit of fear, but rather a spirit of power, love and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
A sound mind is not anxious. I don’t have to fear fleas and cockroaches, it’s not hard to get rid of them; there are exterminators that specialize in that. When I resist the devil, he has to flee like a cockroach (forgive the pun). Don’t let the enemy try to scare you and cause anxiety.
Through it all, I received discernment about the perils taking your pet on vacation, out of it’s protected environment, especially in a rural setting. It gave me food for thought as to where I may really want to move to in my upcoming retirement years.
As for the fleas and cockroaches, they were still there, and I didn’t want to complain. Instead I vacuumed the carpets and furniture really well, where I found a pre-existing flea problem and black fur from former tenants. I informed the landlord about that, so I wouldn’t be blamed for the fleas. Praise God! As for the cockroaches, I took Google’s advice and dried and scattered some orange peels in specific points of entry for the remainder of the trip. Then I prayed for a peaceful night and slept like a baby. Thank God for His peace that surpasses all understanding.
Thanks for reading my blog, I hope it answers more reasons for “Why The Word”. Until next time, God bless you all!
Now I’m going to have nightmares about roaches. Thanks for the orange peel advice, as well as your spiritual wisdom, which you so freely share.